Adidas Launch Yohji Yamamoto adiZero F50

The Nike Mercurial Vapor IX CR was gorgeous, the adidas Enlightened pack took adidas football boots to a place they have never been before, now the Yohji Yamamoto adiZero F50 is quite possibly the most insane boot launch of the week. Adidas have had a long standing relationship with Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, and adidas have brought that relationship back to life with the all new Yohji Yamamoto adiZero F50, the latest in a line of limited edition boots we have seen this year. But this may take the cake as the most insane boot…

We see orange football boots, we see white football boots, we see black football boots, we see red football boots. But never do you see all those colours (and plenty of others) all come together on a single football boot, topped off with a design that has a strong influence of Japanese pop culture. The wacky and wild Yohji Yamamoto F50 adiZero is not a design for the faint-hearted, but football boots like this only come along once every so often, taking the phrase ‘limited edition’ to the next level.

For those of you who can remember, this is not the first time Yohji Yamamoto has done a collaboration of a pair of football boots. Way back in 2006, Yamamoto and adidas came together to release the Tunit YY collection. The design of those boots were crazy within itself (it came in a cage, how cool is that?), but the Japanese designer may have just about outdone himself with the Yamamoto F50. Limited to only 2,000 pairs, the Yamamoto F50 follows on from the launches of the White Copa Mundial & ‘Enlightened’ reflective football boots in recent weeks.

So what is going on with the design of the boot? The front of the boot displays a pair of imperial lion-dogs who, in ancient times, guarded the emperors of Japan who used to live on sacred ground. One one of the imperial lion-dogs has an open mouth to symbolise truth, the other with a closed mouth to represent wisdom and nirvana. The snarling dog appears to say ‘ah’, which in the words of Yohji Yamamoto himself, is the Bhuddist mantra that indicates the beginning of the universe and all human language.

The tradition of old time Japan is clashed with what Japan means to the world today: a leader in technology. The design is spread with gears and machinery, significant of Japan’s place in the world today. The contrast of the imperial lion-dogs and sci-fi represents the past and the present on one boot, giving an idea of how much thought went into creating the boot. It makes the boot stand out on the pitch as well, and Yamamoto sats the “inspiration of the boot harmonises the players and gives them extra confidence to express themselves without any fear”.

The Yamamoto F50 uses the same technology as the current adiZero F50 rangeand enables players to be faster than ever before. Precision engineering has played an integral role in every aspect of the boot design and at only 165g is one of the lightest shoes on the market. While the majority of Yamamoto F50 owners will preserve their boots, a number of professional players are tipped to be wearing the boot, including Melbourne Victory’s Archie Thompson, who debuted the boot in Victory’s game against Brisbane Roar.

The boot is now for pre-order at selected adidas retailers, but what do you think about the Yamamoto F50? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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About the author: Jordon English

So I play soccer, I watch it a lot, I write about soccer equipment, and I am also a referee in the major state leagues in Australia....it is fair to say that soccer definitely has a massive part to play in my life! I am about to hit my twenties, but a life dedicated to supporting Norwich makes you feel a lot older than you really are (I mean, we got relegated, lost 7-1 on the opening day of the season in League 1, then got promoted two seasons in a row, it's a roller coaster)! I am in the middle of completing a commerce degree at the University of Melbourne, but between studying, refereeing and the *ahem* social life of a university student, I still love spending my free time writing for The Instep!